Disney CEO Bob Iger has shared that Fox’s Fantastic Four, X-Men, and Deadpool properties are officially under Kevin Feige’s control. Many fans believe that the properties were a big factor behind Disney’s acquisition of Fox Studios. It’s been a long held desire of many to bring the X-Men into the MCU.
The CEO also announced new bundles for Disney+ and shared details about the streaming service and its programming. Disney+ will feature several Marvel shows that will tie directly into future phases of the MCU, making the connection between Marvel television and Marvel movies more concrete and clear.
According to Deadline, Iger announced Disney+ details via an investor conference call. Iger announced a Disney+, ESPN, and Hulu bundle that will be available for subscribers at 12.99, which is $5 less then Netflix’s highest tier. The studio Titan confirmed that Disney+ will feature 8 Star Wars films, 18 Pixar Films, 70 Disney Animation films, and 4 Marvel ones. Iger confirmed that the number of Marvel titles will rise to 400 as more Marvel titles are screened by Disney. Audiences at D23, the Disney EXPO coming in August, are rumored to be the first able to subscribe.
Iger used the same conference call to officially confirm what fans already knew: that Marvel’s X-Men, Fantastic Four, and Deadpool franchises are officially under Kevin Feige’s control. Marvel has begun a steady push for the Fantastic Four, releasing new video game content and comics to bring Marvel’s first family back to the forefront of audience’s minds.
The news that the X-Men and Deadpool have joined the Disney family officially isn’t news. Fans will recall that the day of the Fox Acquisition’s finalization saw Deadpool join the Walt Disney Company homepage. Officially confirming the Fantastic Four’s future in the MCU is something worth noting, however. There have been two attempts to adapt the Fox property to film, and both have been lambasted by critics and fans alike.
The Fantastic Four and the X-Men have both faced critical disdain, but Kevin Feige’s adaptive skills have turned C-level characters in the Marvel pantheon like the Guardians of the Galaxy into household names. He could be just what it takes to give them the platform they deserve. Disney and Disney+ seem the perfect means of making that happen.
Disney+ launches November 12th 2019